Lac-Mégantic report blames lax oversight, weak safety culture

A railroad with a “weak safety culture” and a federal regulator that was asleep at the switch combined to bring about the worst accident in modern Canadian history, says a report by the Transportation Safety Board.

The agency’s investigation into the rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que., last summer – which killed 47 people when a train loaded with crude oil derailed and exploded in the centre of town – places considerable blame on the railroad, Montreal Maine & Atlantic, for failing to operate safely.

Re: Lac-Mégantic report blames lax oversight, weak safety culture

In its criticism of the federal government, the watchdog agency investigating the crash referred to Transport Canada as “a regulator that did not audit” the safety procedures it required the railway to follow. Transport Canada didn’t do enough inspections and “they didn’t assess the risks properly,” including looking into a company that the government knew had a problematic safety record.But despite that, all the hapless Con Transport Minister Lisa Raitt could come up with today, was to blame the company for not following the rules.“We need to remember that, in terms of safety, the government puts the rules in place. The companies are expected to follow the rules. The company did not follow the rules. And that’s a very important fact here as well, too,” Ms. Raitt added.